


Rest Stop

by MadInSpace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Bed Sharing, Post-Episode: s11e05 The Tsuranga Conundrum, hurt!Doctor, pure unadultered fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 11:59:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16534160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadInSpace/pseuds/MadInSpace
Summary: When Yaz finds the Doctor close to passing out, she realises that she's a lot more hurt than she initially let on. Only one thing will help the Doctor heal, too bad it's the one thing she's most afraid of.





	Rest Stop

**Author's Note:**

> Just a fun bit of hurt/comfort because I wanted a chance to write for Thirteen. (I'm also a sucker for a bit of fluffy platonic napping).

 The Doctor leaned heavily over the console, listening intently to the steady whirs of the TARDIS’ heart.

Realistically, she knew it had been only days since she’d seen her ship, but after everything that had happened, it was hard to relinquish the fear that had claimed her hearts when she’d been away. She’d been _so close_ to losing the TARDIS. The thought of being without her again - after everything that had happened - it had affected her in a way that had nearly caused the selfish destruction of an emergency medical vehicle.

Was that who she was now? Selfish?

A fresh stabbing pain seized her side and the Doctor hissed out in frustration. Mabli had warned her that the injury wouldn’t get any better if she kept running around. Time Lords healed fast, but a shifting organ was in no way a fun experience. To a lower species, it could have been damn-near incapacitating. As it was, it was hard to remain focused on the task at hand.

The Doctor glanced upwards, frowning.

Actually, just what w _as_ the task at hand?

Team TARDIS had disbanded to their bedrooms a long time ago. Well, maybe it had only been a few hours, it was hard to tell. She’d been caught up in something, a bit of coding on the TARDIS mainframe to keep the fingers busy and the mind elsewhere. Nothing too big, just figuring out her own ship. There were so many new buttons to press, wires that needed crossing. The Doctor was itching to inspect every new nook and cranny. She had the time, why not?

Another stabbing pain. The Doctor curled in on herself, fingers clenched against the console. Oh yeah, that was right. _Movement._ Couldn’t do movement right now. Not the best plan.

All things considered, she thought she’d hidden it well enough from the others. Sure, she’d complained about the pain back on Tsuranga, but since getting the TARDIS back she’d tried to keep her back straight, eyes forward. The pain still throbbed, but she didn’t want her friends thinking that there was a problem. There really w _asn’t_ a problem. She just needed time. Time and…

And that other thing she didn’t want to think about.

“Doctor?”

The Doctor shot up, spinning around to see Yaz stood in the archway that led out into the TARDIS living space. She had her arms folded across her chest. Her expression was soft, concerned.

Maybe she had a right to be. Moving that fast to face her had _not_ been the smartest plan. The Doctor’s fingers curled beneath the console, gripping so hard that they burned. The pain was striking, aggravating, and was beginning to sap away at her energy reserves. The Doctor blinked, desperate to steady herself. She really didn’t want to fall over.

“Yaz,” the Doctor said, her voice raised slightly in question. “I thought you’d gone to bed.”

“I did,” Yaz said. Her frown deepened. “Couldn’t sleep. I…” She paused, shaking her head. “Can I ask you a weird question?”

“I love weird questions,” the Doctor said. “Best kind, if you ask me.”

Yaz smiled. She unfolded her arms. “I was just wondering… I mean, we’ve been on the TARDIS with you a while now and I guess… I’ve never actually seen you go to bed.”

“That’s ‘coz I don’t,” the Doctor said simply. She almost shrugged. _Almost._ Before she remembered the pain that would follow.

“What?” Yaz asked, taking a step forward. “Not ever?”

Oh, it was re _ally_ hard not to shrug after that question. The Doctor made a vague gesture with her hands. “We all need sleep,” she said impassively. “Just, I don’t need as much as humans do. Not much at all, actually.” She shoved her hands into her pockets, leaning back against the console. “Just a distraction though, isn’t it? Not much fun for me. My thoughts are kinda… all over the place.”

Yaz had crossed the majority of the room by now. She came up to the main console area, a few paces away from touching anything important. “That’s so weird,” she said. “I mean, not in a bad way, it’s just… s _trange._ I couldn’t think about what I’d do if I didn’t sleep.”

“There’s plenty of stuff happening all the time,” the Doctor said. “If I slept as regularly as you lot, I’d probably never get anything done.”

Yaz’s expression shifted. The Doctor pushed herself from the console. “Sorry. Did that offend you?  I didn’t mean it.” She took a step forward, lifting her hands. “I’m still getting used to myself, but I don’t think I want to offend people. That doesn’t sound like me. Well, I suppose it was me once… or a few times, but I’d prefer not to go down that road again, you know?”

Yaz smirked. She shook her head. “I really don’t know what you’re goin’ on about half the time, you know that?”

The Doctor sighed. “Yeah. Sorry. Again.”

“It’s fine,” Yaz said. “So you’re a bit weird. You’re an alien, I think that gives you the biggest right to be than anyone else here.”

“Okay,” the Doctor said, her lips curling. “Now t _hat_ was an insult.”

“Hey,” Yaz said, pointing a mock accusatory finger. “You insulted me first!”

The Doctor raised her own hand, only for it to shoot back to her side when another shock of pain erupted there. She couldn’t keep from hissing out as she curled in on herself; it was too intense to hide this time around.

“Whoa. Doctor?” The Doctor could feel Yaz’s hand against her shoulder, gripping there in a comforting gesture. It felt strange, but not unwarranted.

“I’m okay,” the Doctor said, but her voice sounded weaker. Come to think about it, it wasn’t just her voice. The longer she kept at this, the more she could feel her energy creep away from her. She felt faint. Not much different from when she’d still been going through the aftermath of her regeneration. This wasn’t good. She didn’t want to be like this, especially not in front of Yaz.

“I thought that pain was getting better,” Yaz said lowly. “Didn’t Mabli check you before we left?”

“She did,” the Doctor said through gritted teeth, she was still riding out this new wave of pain. “Not much they can do for my species, I’m afraid. We’re more of a sort ourselves out kind of people.”

“They said your organs were shifting,” Yaz said quietly, the Doctor could hear the concern in her voice. And something else, underlying. Fear, maybe? Oh, she didn’t want to frighten Yaz. The last thing she wanted to do was to frighten Yaz.

“Just the one organ, actually,” the Doctor said, “pesky little bugger. It’ll be fine. It’s shifting into place as we speak, just takes some time. A little painful, but I’ll be okay. I just need…” The Doctor drew off, she stared away listlessly.

“Need what?” Yaz asked. “Whatever it is, I’ll get it for you.”

The Doctor smiled, a ghost of one on her lips. Her arm was a constant presence wrapped around her side now. It wouldn’t be long before the pain won out. Then she’d have to face facts.

The Doctor closed her eyes, groaning lowly. “You know what you just asked me, about not sleeping?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t need it like you lot do, but I’ll tell you one thing. Sleep is a universal healer, very good at righting any wrongs in the body. That’s why we all need it, maybe not on the same scale, but biology works best when its dormant. No one to knock it about.” The Doctor hissed out again. Wouldn’t be long now. “Do you see what I’m saying?”

Yaz’s hands were still there on her shoulders, holding her steady. “I think so.”

“Good,” the Doctor said. “’Coz it’ll be hard to repeat myself in a second.”

“You what?”

Too late. The last of her energy was running out too fast. The Doctor stumbled, the only thing keeping her from falling was Yaz’s arms holding her up. “Think you can help me to a room?” the Doctor asked faintly. She could see the console’s floor, a blurry mass of colour as her eyes began to droop. She could feel the TARDIS beneath her, buzzing faintly inside her head. It made her feel a bit less dizzy, at least. Not enough to go anywhere without help, of course.

“A room?” Yaz asked desperately. “What about your room?”

“Don’t think I have one yet,” the Doctor mumbled. “New ship, remember? And I’ve been so busy…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “Anything with a bed’ll do,” she said, not quite sure of herself any longer.

“Okay,” Yaz said. Her voice sounded fainter, like it was coming from down a tunnel. “Doctor? I’ll need you to try and lift yourself up, on the count of three, okay?”

“Sounds good. Love a good count,” the Doctor said. “Reminds me of Count Tepes. Ever tell you about that? Probably not.” Another shooting pain, the Doctor groaned out, clenching her hand against her side. “Stupid pain, why can’t it just go away?”

“It will,” Yaz said, she sounded very sure of herself. The Doctor liked that. “You just need to rest. Now come on. One, two, _three._ ”

Yaz heaved the Doctor up and, just as she asked, the Doctor used every bit of remaining strength to pull herself back into a standing position. She fell heavily against Yaz’s shoulder, but she was up, awkward as it was.

“Thanks,” the Doctor said, squeezing her shoulder. She pushed her face into Yaz’s arm, feeling locks of her dark hair tickle her face.

“No problem,” Yaz said quickly, heaving the Doctor a little more securely against her side. “Come on, then. Let’s get you to bed.”

* * *

The TARDIS was absolutely mad. Yaz hadn’t really believed what the Doctor had said about rooms moving around until she’d gotten up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water and nearly fallen into the swimming pool.  

Still, the TARDIS had its positives too. For example, lugging the dead weight of an alien you’d met not that long ago was something the TARDIS must have sympathised with, because Yaz was pretty sure a door opened up to a bedroom that hadn’t existed an hour ago.

She hadn’t believed that the Doctor felt fine when they’d gone back to the TARDIS, but she’d masked it well. She’d been all energy and mania, rushing about the console the second they’d walked in. She was eager to get the ship out of the junk planet, back into the freedom of space. After that, it wasn’t long before everyone wanted to go to bed. Yaz could only imagine the lasting trauma witnessing a man giving birth would have on Ryan and Graham – she figured they needed all the rest they could get.

As for her, sleep just wouldn’t come. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the Doctor, about how that blast from the mine had clearly damaged her far more than the rest of them. She’d been the one in front, the one to take the full brunt of the hit. Internally speaking, there was no reason to assume she was fully healed. Especially considering the clear pain she’d been in all day.

And to think. She’d still saved the day. Even when she was hurting, even when she could barely stand straight, she’d saved everyone on that ship. She blew that little Pting thing out into space with enough energy inside of it to keep it from hurting anyone else for a long time.

All of that, and she’d been in enough pain to end up like this. Yaz struggled to keep the Doctor upright. Despite the fact that she was still walking, she wasn’t talking, and her eyes wouldn’t stay open. Every time Yaz looked over, the Doctor looked a little paler, a little closer to passing out entirely. She couldn’t let that happen, not until there was a mattress there to catch them when they fell.

“Hang in there, Doctor,” Yaz said as she nudged the door open. It gave away easily, enough for Yaz to assume that the TARDIS was still watching over them.

The bedroom was the same size as the one Yaz had found for herself. The carpet was a plush, dark blue that glittered with individual strands of silvery material. The walls were metallic panelled, but flashed with fairy lights that appeared to be ingrained into the material. Yaz stared about in wonder; not too shabby for a room that had only just popped into existence.

The bed was large, with TARDIS blue sheets and enough pillows to build two separate forts out of. If the Doctor had been anywhere close to conscious right now, Yaz had no doubt in her mind that she’d already be building those forts.

The room was sparse where furniture was concerned. There were two nightstands on each side of the bed and a tv that hung on the far wall. There was a chest of drawers and a wardrobe, but even without looking inside, Yaz had a sneaking suspicion that both were empty.

It didn’t matter, really. The Doctor wasn’t exactly light and all Yaz cared about was getting her into bed. If her mum could see her now, she definitely would have thought something was going on between them. That nearly gave her reason to smile.

Yaz half dragged the Doctor over to the bed. As soon as they were close enough, Yaz plonked themselves both down against the mattress. It was easily the most comfortable mattress she’d ever sat on, like floating on a cloud.

Clearly, the TARDIS spared no expenses where the Doctor was concerned. Yaz felt a little jealous that her own mattress didn’t feel like that. Sure, it was comfortable, but this thing was _otherworldly._

The Doctor wasn’t quite conscious enough to appreciate that. Her arm was still wrapped tightly across her midsection, pressing against an area to the left of her side as though she were keeping her innards from falling out. She was paler, and there was a thin sheen of sweat to her face, causing her blonde hair to stick precariously to her forehead.

Unthinkingly, Yaz swiped the hair away.

The Doctor’s eyes opened, brown and dazed. “How’d we get here then?” she asked.

Yaz snorted. “I carried you, that’s how.”

“Huh.” The Doctor stared outwards, her gaze finding everything and nothing.

Yaz’s eyes softened. It was strange, seeing the Doctor like this. She was the mad alien that had whisked them all away into crazy misadventure. She’d warned them all about the dangers of travelling with her, but Yaz wondered whether the Doctor had thought much about what might happen to _herself._

“You need to sleep,” Yaz said. “That’s what you told me, right?”

“Yeah,” the Doctor said, blinking slowly. “Yeah, sounds smart. Sounds like something I would say.”

“’Course it would,” Yaz said, finding it increasingly difficult to keep from smiling. “Come on, lie down then.”

The Doctor didn’t move. Her grip tightened against her side.

Yaz stared at her quizzically. “Doctor?”

The Doctor nodded absently. “I know I should,” she said. “I have to. I keep putting it off, though. At least, I think that’s what I’m doing.” Her eyes scrunched in confusion. “Is that what I’m doing?”

Yaz watched her warily. The Doctor had a habit of questioning her own behaviours. She’d explained in part that her species could change their bodies, their minds, but something told Yaz that the Doctor was still fighting to piece herself together. There were things she was still unsure of. Things that – to most people – should have been second nature.

“Why are you putting it off?” Yaz asked.

The Doctor shook her head, groaning in frustration. Her fingers curled against her side and she bent forward, breathing deeply. “I don’t know.” Her head lifted suddenly, her hair falling into her eyes. “No,” she said sharply. “No that isn’t right. I do know.” She looked to Yaz desperately. “I’m scared.”

Yaz’s mouth nearly fell open. _Scared?_ Seriously? The Doctor had faced terrifying alien races, giant mutated spiders and literal _Nazis_ , what was there left that she could be afraid of?

Oh, but it was something. Yaz hadn’t known the Doctor for very long, but in that moment her expression was completely unguarded. She was confused by her own behaviour, and terrified of what that meant.

“Scared of what?” Yaz asked softly. “Of… resting?”

“Sleeping.” The Doctor shook her head again, hissing out as the pain overlapped her thoughts. “No. Not sleeping. The other thing.” She waved her free hand about, searching the air for an answer. Suddenly, with no warning, she grabbed Yaz’s shoulder, causing her to gasp in surprise. “Dreaming!” the Doctor said, her eyes wide and staring imploringly into Yaz’s. “That’s what I’m scared of.”

Yaz stared back, unsure of what to say. She hadn’t seen the Doctor like this before. The Doctor was always a little mad - kind of loopy, actually - but right now, there was something unstructured about her. It must have been the pain, the exhaustion.

Yaz had never seen the Doctor sleep, and they’d been at this adventure stuff for a while now. How long had she gone without sleep before they’d even met? How long had she been hiding from her dreams?

“What dreams?” Yaz wasn’t sure why she was asking, but it seemed appropriate all the same. The Doctor was an alien, an alien that could change her face. Yaz wasn’t sure how old she was, how long she’d been around, but something in her eyes spoke years of experience that went well beyond Yaz’s understanding.

If she’d been around that long, seen and done things that no one else could possibly dream of… then what _did_ she dream?

“Did I say dreams?” the Doctor asked, she was still gripping onto Yaz, staring at her. Yaz wasn’t even sure she was aware she was doing it. “I think I meant the other thing.”

“Nightmares?”

“That’s the one!” The Doctor shot back, letting go of Yaz in the same moment. Her arm snaked back around her midsection and she groaned lowly. “Keep forgetting about that.”

“Doctor…” Yaz said, trying desperately to keep her on one train of thought. “Are you really afraid to sleep?”

The Doctor looked up at her, like for a moment she’d forgotten she was there at all. “I think I must be,” the Doctor said. “It’s a shame, ‘coz I’m really tired.”

Yaz saw it before the Doctor did. Her dark eyes fluttered once before her body went limp. She fell like a dead weight against the mattress.

“Doctor!” Yaz said, louder than she anticipated. Panic rose in her chest, forcing her heart up and into her throat. She grabbed the Doctor’s shoulder, shaking her softly. “Doctor,” she said again, quieter this time. “Hey! Passing out is _not_ the same as sleeping, d’you hear me?”

The Doctor was unresponsive at first and for a moment, Yaz truly feared what she might have to do. She didn’t know the Doctor’s physiology, didn’t know what was normal for her. She had to assume passing out wasn’t a good thing.

Slowly, though, the Doctor came around. She didn’t lift her head from the mattress, but her eyes opened, heavy lidded. She glanced towards Yaz and her eyebrows knitted together. “’m sorry,” the Doctor said quietly, half her volume lost against the mattress. “Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Yaz released a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding. Her shoulders heaved forward as she squeezed the Doctor’s shoulder. “No more back and forth,” Yaz said sharply. “You need to sleep, it’s pretty clear your body needs it as well as your mind. I don’t know what dreams you might be afraid of, Doctor, but… you can’t just keep yourself awake. You can’t keep hurting.”

The Doctor’s eyes glittered. She forced a smile, which quickly turned into a wince as she cradled her side. “Think you might be right, Yaz,” she said, closing her eyes again. “You’re smart. Smart Yaz.”

She was drifting again. Yaz sighed. “Oh no you don’t, come on.” She grabbed the Doctor a little more firmly, heaving her up. The Doctor made a sound of protest, but it didn’t get her very far. Her hair was in disarray, not that she seemed to care. She brushed it back feebly, if only so that she could see ahead of her.

“You’re doing this properly,” Yaz said, pointing towards the pillows at the head of the bed. “Under the sheets. Come on. The full human experience.”

The Doctor pulled a face at that. “Really?”

Yaz gave her a pointed look. “Really. Now come on, or else I’m tucking you in.”

The Doctor gave her a look of affront before she relented.

With Yaz’s help, she shrugged off her jacket and climbed into bed. It was almost comical seeing the Doctor lying in a proper bed, a look of intense confusion on her face.

“This is weird,” the Doctor said, frowning. “Don’t remember the last time I slept in a bed.”

Yaz fixed her with another look. “D’you remember the last time you slept at all?”

The Doctor shrugged before hissing out. The sheets shifted and Yaz knew she was still clutching her side. A pang of guilt swept through her. The Doctor had taken that hit for them, had continued to save the day even when she knew that the longer she stayed on her feet, the more damage she was doing to herself.

It wasn’t fair, but the Doctor had done it anyway.

The Doctor’s eyes were beginning to droop again, even with all the tension still tangled inside, even with the pain that she was still harbouring. Exhaustion would win out in the end, it always did.

“Get some rest,” Yaz said simply. “You’ll feel better, promise.”

Yaz made to stand, but before she could, the Doctor grabbed for her, fingers squeezing around her wrist like a vice.

“Stay,” the Doctor said.

Yaz blinked. “I… I mean, yeah, I can do that. If you want.”

“I wouldn’t ask normally,” the Doctor continued, glancing upwards. “At least, I don’t think I would’ve. Maybe this new me is clingy.” She frowned. “Never been clingy before, not sure if I like it.”

“Doctor…”

“Sorry.” The Doctor shook her head. “Doing it again. Socially nervous. Not fun.” She pursed her lips. “I just… I haven’t needed to sleep in a long while, and never in this body. I don’t know what I might see.”

Yaz lowered herself back to the floor, meeting the Doctor’s eyes levelly. “I don’t know what you’ve seen,” she said honestly. “I haven’t even known you that long, but you definitely deserve a good night’s sleep.”

“Night’s-worth doesn’t mean much in space,” the Doctor pointed out. “But I appreciate the gesture.”

Yaz rolled her eyes. “D’you want me to stay with you or not?”

The Doctor’s eyes hardened. “I do.”

Yaz sighed. She couldn’t believe she was about to have a sleepover with an alien. In a time machine. In _space._

“Budge over, then,” Yaz said. “You might be an alien, but you better at least have the common courtesy not to steal all the covers.”

The Doctor’s expression softened as she heaved herself to the other side of the bed. Yaz got in, trying not to gush over how comfortable the bed was. She could have drifted off right then and there.

The fact that the Doctor was still conscious spoke volumes.

“It’s alright,” Yaz said, when she realised the Doctor still looked distracted. “Just… focus on the good stuff.”

The Doctor offered her a wan smile. Yaz wondered how many good things she had stored away in that brain of hers. Were there more good things than bad?

“Thanks, Yaz,” the Doctor said. “I mean it. You didn’t have to do this.”

“But I want to,” Yaz said firmly. “Besides, this is my first sleepover with an alien. All my friends at home will be proper jealous.”

The Doctor laughed, it was more subdued than usual. Everything about her was more subdued. She must have been exhausted.

It took some time, but eventually, the Doctor began to drift off. It was strange, seeing her this vulnerable, on the precipice of planned unconsciousness. Yaz watched as the Doctor’s breathing calmed inside her chest, as her eyes fluttered to a natural close.

In the deep recesses of sleep, the Doctor’s arm slowly unfurled from her side. The furrow in her brow lifted. Was her body already healing itself, Yaz wondered?

It was hard to keep her eyes open, the lull of sleep was calling for her as well. Still, Yaz was adamant to drink in this small, unguarded moment with the Doctor. Tomorrow, she’d be back to her usual self, and Yaz would be glad. Even still, it was nice to share this time with the Doctor. Time alone, where she truly needed Yaz by her side, even if she wasn’t entirely sure why.

Eventually, Yaz fell asleep as well. The human and the Time Lord, lying face to face, bundled in TARDIS blue sheets.

They remained that way throughout the night, and not a single nightmare dared to cross their path.


End file.
